Skin problems? Is it more sanitary? Or is it simply one of those things people do?

If at first you don't succeed, it wasn't meant to be. It's just a waste of time 'cause the unions just gonna take your money anyway, 'cause they jealous that we got an extra bone in our body that makes us smarter, but don't nobody in science care to acknowledge that, and you were an unwanted pregnancy, and you ruined my dirtbikin career, and get outta my sight you disgust me! You talking bout that one daddy?

Many people don't so remember that. Those that do have different reasons to do so. One reason , for women, is when they wear a dress or skirt they want to keep themselves covered up in case their dress or skirt blows up or slides up when they are out in public.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

The main idea for underwear is to protect the much more valuable outer clothing and to save the work and expense of laundering, dry cleaning and pressing those outer clothes.

We now have access to lots of fairly cheap clothing so most people don't worry too much about the clothes wearing out. And washing machines have made laundry a whole lot less work than it was even just 30 or 40 years ago. So we can probably wash our jeans as often as we now do our undies if we want to. (I'd disapprove of this just on water saving grounds alone, but I'm Australian so I might be more conscious of this than others are.)

The other issue now is that we've got used to making clothes for people who wear underwear. So there's a whole lot of conventions about buttons and seams and fasteners that are in places or structured in ways that might make some garments a bit uncomfortable without underclothes. They'd certainly be designed a bit differently if it was commonly expected that purchasers wouldn't have anything underneath.

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." Winston Churchill"nature is like a game of Jenga; you never know which brick you pull out will cause the whole stack to collapse" Lucy Cooke

I don't know about the rest of you, but on several occasions in my life, I've seen underwear thrown away in business restroom wastebaskets, which is certainly easier to do than throwing away the outer pants itself .

Urinary and/or fecal incontinence can occur for several reasons — illness, surgery, medication, pregnancy, coughing, the three beers and the jalapeno and bean burrito you had for lunch, etc. There's also the saying, "Never trust a fart over fifty." Then there's the leakage that can occur due to sexual arousal. Also a woman's monthly flow.

If I was female, I'd also want a few layers between me and whatever I sit on, especially in public. I've seen women in miniskirts sitting in subway cars, with obviously the only thing between their private parts and the seat being a very thin pair of panties. No thanks. Picking up the odd STD or a pregnancy, although exceedingly rare, would be rather embarrassing to explain.

There's also the habit of wearing underwear and the feeling it provides. In one of the Marx Brothers movies, Chico steals the underwear off of Groucho, who discovers this and says, "I thought I felt a little flimsy."

Grief is the price we pay for love. (CM Parkes) Our postillion has been struck by lightning. (Unknown) War is always the choice of the chosen who will not have to fight. (Bono) The years tell much what the days never knew. (RW Emerson) Reality is not always probable, or likely. (JL Borges)

One of the pieces of advice that I used to give to my adult horse back riding students was to wear comfortable foundation garments, use a bit of baby powder in their knickers to prevent chaffing and to pay attention to where the seams were on their outerwear.

If you travel with me for 25 miles on horseback with a lot of trotting, you will completely understand the above suggestions.

The other reason for fruit-of-the-looms is just plain sanitation. It gets a bit sweaty in tight places and I like the feel of clean socks and panties. Like my mother, I have a very acute sense of smell and I can detect an ant fart at 20 meters. Far be it from me to offend others with ode-of-sweaty-female. Then again, apparently it turns some guys on and having unsolicited male attention is a sure way to offend me.

Another reason for undies is for those of you who like to cook breakfast 'au natural', otherwise I suggest cooking the bacon in the microwave.

Or not cook it at all but eat only cold breakfasts or fruit and cereal.

I stopped wearing underwear many years ago and to this day have not had any zipper problems when I zip up. It's a matter of habit I would think more than a necessary thing to wear any longer. However long underwear is a much needed thing to have on in the cold areas of human habitation and are very helpful to protect from the cooler conditions like below freezing conditions can hand out.

Last edited by cosmictraveler; March 26th, 2013 at 12:46 AM.

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Jimi Hendrix

Underwear shows through tight clothing like skirts and looks unattractive. People wear thongs in this case, or nothing at all. Some people find thongs more uncomfortable than normal underwear, so wearing nothing is better, especially when you have to "keep up appearances" (like if you work as a waitress).

I just lifted the following post from another forum under the thread title of 'What Are You Doing?' It just really seemed like a good fit for the topic of this thread. As both are public forums, I see no conflict in this doing.

Today at my second job I went into the restroom to take a leak. When I unziped my pants I skinned the tip of my dick with the zipper. I got a little blood spot or scab now on my dong.

I stopped wearing underwear many years ago and to this day have not had any zipper problems when I zip up. It's a matter of habit I would think more than a necessary thing to wear any longer. However long underwear is a much needed thing to have on in the cold areas of human habitation and are very helpful to protect from the cooler conditions like below freezing conditions can hand out.

Unlucky me! As a young man, after having gone through the "growth spurt", zipping up hurriedly for reasons now forgotten, included the very tip of my being in those vicious teeth! I have a scar to prove it! The incident did NOT change my dislike of underwear, however! jocular

Another reason for undies is for those of you who like to cook breakfast 'au natural', otherwise I suggest cooking the bacon in the microwave.

Coming soon to a kitchen supply center near you, the "Nudist's Hairnet!* **" Guaranteed to keep undesirable ingredients from being stirred into your stew, or your money back!

*Not all styles are available in flame retardant materials.**Flame retardant styles are only intended to reduce the risk of burns while in hot environments but cannot prevent spontaneous human combustion caused by smoking, excessive arousal, or the wrath of god(s) unproven to exist.

I finally located and set by a good supply of very comfortable panties that are constructed with a high cut leg and show no 'panty line' when worn under fitted garments. As they say, if you've still got it, then you've earned the right to flaunt it.

The predictable nature of gentlemen is that if they are still breathing, they are still looking at 'the menu', lol...

Underwear were invented by old people ...or people in the ancient tailoring biz who found themselves with bunches of fabric scraps too small to make anything else with. Necessity being the Mother of. [pardon my participles, they be dangling -Commando!] As both Men and Women age, urinary problems grab hold. Next thing you know pee is dripping for no apparent good reason, without your knowledge or consent ...and I mean your pee. Skids marks are easily avoided by not having a diet consisting solely of BBQ and cheese ...and wet wipes solve even "the mud". But the drippy problem is why it's always a 50+ year old asking you if you're wearing drawers/knickers/panties/thong/boxers/tighty whiteys. They gotta wear 'em ...and GD it you're gonna wear em too!

No. Underwear was always about protecting outer garments from sweat and other bodily excretions.

Remember, underwear is also part of the tradition of wearing aprons and other coverings to protect garments from dirt on the exterior.

The most important issue is how often, and how vigorously, the outer garments are to be laundered or otherwise cleaned. A lot of outer garments were traditionally made of materials that were difficult (sometimes impossible) to launder. But even items that were meant to be washed were not washed as often as we now do. Just look at shirts. Many people owned just one for work - and wore a fresh collar each day - and another for Sunday best. It was a lot less burden on the person/ servant responsible for laundry to wash just a couple of shirts each week and 6 or 7 collars.

Me? I'm still a bit alarmed at the idea that people are washing jeans or other pants every day or so if there's nothing to protect the garment from sweat and other excretions. (Maybe even more alarmed if they're wearing them with no underwear but for as long as the rest of us do. Ewwww.)

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." Winston Churchill"nature is like a game of Jenga; you never know which brick you pull out will cause the whole stack to collapse" Lucy Cooke

Underwear were invented by old people ...or people in the ancient tailoring biz who found themselves with bunches of fabric scraps too small to make anything else with. Necessity being the Mother of. [pardon my participles, they be dangling -Commando!] As both Men and Women age, urinary problems grab hold. Next thing you know pee is dripping for no apparent good reason, without your knowledge or consent ...and I mean your pee. Skids marks are easily avoided by not having a diet consisting solely of BBQ and cheese ...and wet wipes solve even "the mud". But the drippy problem is why it's always a 50+ year old asking you if you're wearing drawers/knickers/panties/thong/boxers/tighty whiteys. They gotta wear 'em ...and GD it you're gonna wear em too!

Honestly, how important are intelligent posts that could help a layperson get a better understanding, for example, of aspects of Quantum Theory or General Relativity?
Surely it is contributions, such as the above, that make looking at the Science Forum really worthwhile!

Underwear were invented by old people ...or people in the ancient tailoring biz who found themselves with bunches of fabric scraps too small to make anything else with. Necessity being the Mother of. [pardon my participles, they be dangling -Commando!] As both Men and Women age, urinary problems grab hold. Next thing you know pee is dripping for no apparent good reason, without your knowledge or consent ...and I mean your pee. Skids marks are easily avoided by not having a diet consisting solely of BBQ and cheese ...and wet wipes solve even "the mud". But the drippy problem is why it's always a 50+ year old asking you if you're wearing drawers/knickers/panties/thong/boxers/tighty whiteys. They gotta wear 'em ...and GD it you're gonna wear em too!

There is also the little matter of the surface tension of water, or in this case urine, thinking specifically of the male urethra. As it was written upon the vestibule wall...

"You can squeeze it, you can shake it,
You can bang it on the wall,
But you have to place it in your pants
for that last damn drop to fall..."

I'll overlook the age bias in your post for I know that nature shall eventually run it's course in your case too. As Red Green is wont to say, "We are all in this together." Enjoy your tight sphincters and freedom from foundation garments while you can.

Underwear were invented by old people ...or people in the ancient tailoring biz who found themselves with bunches of fabric scraps too small to make anything else with. Necessity being the Mother of. [pardon my participles, they be dangling -Commando!] As both Men and Women age, urinary problems grab hold. Next thing you know pee is dripping for no apparent good reason, without your knowledge or consent ...and I mean your pee. Skids marks are easily avoided by not having a diet consisting solely of BBQ and cheese ...and wet wipes solve even "the mud". But the drippy problem is why it's always a 50+ year old asking you if you're wearing drawers/knickers/panties/thong/boxers/tighty whiteys. They gotta wear 'em ...and GD it you're gonna wear em too!

There is also the little matter of the surface tension of water, or in this case urine, thinking specifically of the male urethra. As it was written upon the vestibule wall...

"You can squeeze it, you can shake it,
You can bang it on the wall,
But you have to place it in your pants
for that last damn drop to fall..."

I'll overlook the age bias in your post for I know that nature shall eventually run it's course in your case too. As Red Green is wont to say, "We are all in this together." Enjoy your tight sphincters and freedom from foundation garments while you can.

LOL Red Green probably wears underwear made of duct tape.

Speaking badly about people after they are gone and jumping on the bash the band wagon must do very well for a low self-esteem.

Maybe if old people wearing incontinence diapers would start sagging all the youth would stop.

Dunno, they didn't stop no matter how ridiculous it looked when other teens did it...

And the knowledge of the fact that the style emulates prison culture behaviors that communicate the willingness to be the "lady" of the evening doesn't stop them either. Maybe bibbed overalls need to come back into fashion.

Speaking badly about people after they are gone and jumping on the bash the band wagon must do very well for a low self-esteem.

except when it's really hot and the sweat gives you an irritation(also known as itchy butt)
then
let it breathe

I am currently ailed by this condition, I'm out of the closet now, that's the actual reason i made this thread. Thread. Thread should always be cotton.

If at first you don't succeed, it wasn't meant to be. It's just a waste of time 'cause the unions just gonna take your money anyway, 'cause they jealous that we got an extra bone in our body that makes us smarter, but don't nobody in science care to acknowledge that, and you were an unwanted pregnancy, and you ruined my dirtbikin career, and get outta my sight you disgust me! You talking bout that one daddy?

Grief is the price we pay for love. (CM Parkes) Our postillion has been struck by lightning. (Unknown) War is always the choice of the chosen who will not have to fight. (Bono) The years tell much what the days never knew. (RW Emerson) Reality is not always probable, or likely. (JL Borges)

If at first you don't succeed, it wasn't meant to be. It's just a waste of time 'cause the unions just gonna take your money anyway, 'cause they jealous that we got an extra bone in our body that makes us smarter, but don't nobody in science care to acknowledge that, and you were an unwanted pregnancy, and you ruined my dirtbikin career, and get outta my sight you disgust me! You talking bout that one daddy?

Gold bond medicated powder also helps prevent itchy butt. And another thing to prevent itchy butt is good old fashioned zinc oxide (diaper rash cream). of course you don't exactly wanna go on a hot date and have to explain why you appear to have been taken care of by your nanny before leaving home.

Speaking badly about people after they are gone and jumping on the bash the band wagon must do very well for a low self-esteem.

Oh dear! Here I am about to start this big serious discussion about a proposed means of quantifying human emotions in energy metrics according to cross comparison of calorie consumption. Then the first thread I see is this, lol. A perfectly reasonable question to be sure, just not what I expected to see right off the bat. Anyway I wear them because it's much more comfortable for me.

I haven't worn underwear since my early teens. I wore Dockers for many years because they're much less abrasive on sensitive parts than jeans are. Now, I wear sweats when I can because they're the most comfortable and least abrasive. I do not envy women. Everything is designed to hug their bodies completely. I imagine that would be very uncomfortable without underwear. Panties are a necessity unless they wear skirts or dresses. Women not wearing panties, is a big turn-on for me though.